Arctic blast coming next week

Coldest weather of the winter expected to hit town Monday and stay the week.

By Jeorge Zarazuajzarazua@express-news.net :
January 6, 2011

An arctic cold front will push its way through Central Texas next week, bringing with it the coldest weather of the season, with most areas experiencing below-average temperatures, the National Weather Service warns.

Temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s, with highs in the 40s, after this week's sunny and mild weather. Even worse, the wind chill — the temperature felt when factoring in wind — is expected to plummet into the teens.

While San Antonio has seen some cold days this winter, it wasn't anything like this, said meteorologists with the weather service's New Braunfels office.

“It's definitely going to be cold, but the special thing about this system is that the cold will persist,” forecaster Chris Morris said Thursday.

The trend this winter has been that after a cold front pushes through, he said, “the daytime temperatures would warm back up into the 60s.” That's not happening next week.

“It's going to be persistent cold weather,” Morris said.

The arctic air mass, which will extend from eastern Montana to South Texas, should arrive Monday and remain in the region through much of the week, according to the weather service. The coldest temperatures are forecast for Wednesday, when they're expected to drop into the mid-20s.

Before the front's arrival, the forecast calls for San Antonio to be drenched with up to an inch of rain Saturday afternoon or Sunday, with lesser amounts east of Interstate 35. That in itself is big news considering the city hasn't had any significant rainfall in months.

“The ways the models look right now, it's probably the best chance for widespread rain since September,” weather service forecaster Bob Fogarty said.

The last time more than half an inch of rain fell was Sept. 8, when the city was soaked with 2.8 inches, according to weather service records.

Meteorologists expect this weekend's storm system to clear out by the time the arctic blast makes its way south to San Antonio. And although they don't anticipate any more storms developing next week, the weather service does advise there's a 10 percent chance for light rain or drizzle Tuesday.

Morris said, however, that conditions won't be favorable to produce snow flurries.

“We're not expecting any sort of winter precipitation with this,” he said.

Temperatures should begin warming up again Thursday, in time for San Antonio to enjoy another weekend of mild temperatures.